1. Field of the Invention
The area of the invention is that of helicopter piloting and more particularly very precise holding of a hovering position above a predetermined location. This holding is made all the more difficult by poor visibility conditions or when the helicopter is subject to snow or dust turbulence raised by the rotating blades. These are known as “white out” or “brown out” phenomena.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To enable a more accurate appreciation of the situation of the helicopter, it has been proposed to present the situation of the helicopter in relation to the terrain to the pilot on the visualization means of the control panel. Thus, the patents or patent applications EP 2 388 760, EP 1 882 157 and WO 2012 003512 present devices in which the situation of the helicopter is represented on the visualization screens of the control panel. The patent U.S. Pat. No. 7,928,862 discloses a Head-Up Display device in which the position information is presented superimposed on the outside landscape in the central field of vision of the pilot.
These devices all have the drawback of giving information partly outside of the pilot's useful field of view. In fact, helicopter pilots learn to master hovering by observing the terrain situated opposite them and laterally to the sides. The structural extremities of the helicopter cockpit represent reference points which make it possible to judge the horizontal and vertical movements of the helicopter. Lateral vision is thus essential for precise hover holding.
Thus, the methods of presenting existing information lead the pilot to operate in a mode that is no longer familiar to him and which is not necessarily the most suitable.